For immigrant youth, the path to college is rarely smooth

Lack of documentation is the biggest hurdle to college success facing students from other countries.

by Paul Jablow

Photo: Harvey Finkle

Community College of Philadelphia student Wei Chen (right), who moved from China during high school, has found a mentor in Judith Reitzes, an English as a Second Language specialist in the college’s learning lab.

Sitting at a table in the cafeteria at the Community College of Philadelphia, Cheick Kante makes no effort to hide his frustration.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never come here," says Kante, 22, a towering man who is studying computer information systems at CCP. "I never knew it would be like this."

A few hours later and a brisk walk away, Mohamed Kakay is a study in confidence as he chats in Starbucks at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a graduate student in global studies. "I've had to work twice as hard," says Kakay, also 22. "But the resources are there for immigrant students."

Kante, a native of Mali who emigrated five years ago with a dream of playing college football, is undocumented and struggling.

Kakay, who is from Sierra Leone, came to the United States in 2002, joining an uncle who was soon able to get him a green card. For him, this unlocked the door to scholarships, financial aid, and lower tuition.

These benefits are denied to students like Kante, who graduated from Bartram High School but has since worked in restaurants or as a truck loader while trying to make it through CCP. "Sometimes they use you," because of the lack of a green card, Kante says. "You load two trucks and they pay you for one."

Students, counselors, and immigration activists say that lack of documentation is the biggest hurdle faced by students from other countries and is likely to remain so unless a so-called "DREAM Act" is passed on the state or federal level that could increase access to financial assistance and lower tuitions.

They say, however, that lack of documentation is hardly the only issue. They also cite language and cultural issues and difficulty negotiating a sometimes bewildering landscape of educational choices.

"When you have an accent, you're always made fun of," says Kakay, a graduate of Pepper Middle School, University City High School, and Widener University.

Need for support

Wei Chen, a 20-year-old from Fujian province, China, made citywide headlines in 2010 by leading a boycott by Asian students at South Philadelphia High School protesting violent attacks and ongoing abuse by other students.

Wei now works as an organizer for Asian Americans United and attends English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at CCP to prepare him for the regular curriculum in subjects like political science. He says the atmosphere in high school definitely slowed his progress learning English: "I couldn't pay attention to my school work."

Like many immigrant students, he has found his path smoothed by the good fortune of finding the right mentors and counselors. In particular, he cites Judith Reitzes, an ESL specialist in CCP's learning lab. "Every time I say, 'It's so hard,'" he says, "she says, 'You can improve.'"

John Bernard, an ESL and international student counselor at CCP, says that "culture is the essential point" and that ESL classes, which blend students from different backgrounds, also help students adjust.

"It's very hard to navigate the system when you don't speak the language well," says Cathey White, who manages the Philadelphia Education Fund's College Access Center at the Gallery mall. "It's not being addressed by the [high school] counselors."

White says that many immigrant students write English better than they speak it, so she often communicates that way even if they are sitting right next to her.

In general, White says, the students she sees – whether native or immigrant – "don't have a clue as to where to start."

Miguel Andrade, youth organizer for the Latino community group JUNTOS, says that ignorance about college educational opportunity is widespread, with many undocumented students mistakenly believing that they are actually barred from attending college.

"Lack of information translates into lack of drive," says Andrade. "Some students drop out because of ignorance. Once they see they can [attend college], most of them want to do it."